India`s disappearing caste system

There are many theories on the origin of India’s caste system. A predominant one is that Aryans invaded India and conquered Dravidians and Mundas, the Indian natives, around 1,300 B.C. With the passage of time, the system was developed into four classes: rulers into Brahmins (priests) and Kshatriyas (aristocrats and warriors), and subjects into Vaishya (farmers and merchants) and Shudra (slaves and artisans). At the bottom of the pyramid are the untouchables, also called Harijans or Dalits.

Under the traditional caste system, the upper class in India could get bad luck only by getting close to the lower class. Marriage between classes was banned and occupations were handed down from father to son. Though the caste system gave the country stability, it had much greater negative impact on society as it blocked nationalism and promoted stagnation. India legally abolished the caste system after independence from the U.K. in 1947. Removing the invisible barrier that had taken root deep in the Indian people’s minds, however, has been far from easy.

The Paris-based International Herald Tribune said the caste system, which has ruled India for more than 3,000 years, is disappearing thanks to fast economic growth. India, which chose a socialist system after independence, made a historic decision by shifting to a free market economy in 1991, which drove fast growth. As the lower class including the untouchables climb the capitalist ladder armed with entrepreneurship, the caste system is under threat. Though the legacy and prejudice of the system remain, meaningful change is happening in the world`s second most populous country.

Economic change is a critical factor that determines public awareness. Korea`s class system, which was the norm under the Joseon Dynasty, collapsed 60 years ago after Japanese colonial rule and the foundation of the Republic of Korea. The shift was closely related to war, land reform and economic growth. India, a plodding elephant, is at the center of global attention along with China in the new 21st-century world order. The change from the caste system to a merit-based society will make India grow further.

Editorial Writer Kwon Sun-hwal (shkwon@donga.com)